Lucid guide book of a bygone era
View(s):Prasad Fonseka, that indefatigable antiquarian, enthusiast has been passionately curious about Kotte that medieval Sinhalese capital. His guide book entitled Kotte: the Fortress published by the National Trust Sri Lanka (NTSL) was launched on May 28 at the HNB auditorium. The foreword of this opus is by Dr. Roland Silva, founder President the National Trust Sri Lanka whilst an apt introduction has been written by the present President of NTSL Prof. Nimal Silva and a detailed preface by the author himself.
Kotte : The Fortress runs into five main chapters. They are: Construction of the Fortress; History of the Gampola and Kotte periods; A Short History of the Kotte Kingdom, Kotte and the Fortress and Seeing the Ruins of Kotte. The book spans 100 pages with the annexures including the ancient Dutch map of Kotte, map of Kotte including ancient monuments, the map of Kotte during the Kotte period, copious end notes, a glossary, rampart in private gardens, Kotte being destroyed, references and an easy index.
Prasad Fonseka’s labour of love on the city of Kotte was ignited whilst he was reading for his MA in archaeology at the Post Graduate Institute of Archaeology. The book contains 68 illustrations. The author states in his preface that: “My passion for Kotte was charged with curiosity. I realised that the key to discovering the components of the fortress was finding the land access and the drawbridge. I was able to identify the land access using “Google Earth”. The “ambalama” associated with the drawbridge, is marked on maps of the early 20th century and from that information the possible location of the drawbridge was surmised. Within a few days, I was able to find many sites. I used “Google Earth” to locate the remnants of the ancient dam and the sluice gate, which unfortunately, were lost within a few months due to town development”.
Whilst reading and re-reading Prasad Fonseka’s book: “The Fortress’, I am of the firm conviction that this book has been written keeping with the prime objectives of The National Trust Sri Lanka (NTSL) which was set-up with the intention of providing a forum for enlightened professionals and the public, to subscribe to heritage values of the country whether it be tangible or intangible, covering both cultural and natural sites of historical or of aesthetic value.
The only lapse this writer saw was the “The begging bowl of Hulftsdorp” -the Balibathkudama, the only complete receptacle of the Kotte period found in the present District Court quadrangle the old Supreme Court precincts see: Justice A R B Amarasinghe’s Supreme Court of Sri Lanka – first 185 years Vishvaleka Publication – 1986.
Any reader of Prasad Fonseka’s Kotte: The Fortress would find his simple, lucid style of writing on an era, when the history of Ceylon was covered with a web of tangled skein most compelling.
Undoubtedly this guide book would serve as a vade mecum for Sri Lankans and foreigners – for all those who value Sri Lanka’s bygone heritage.
( The reviewer is a former Hon. Treasurer of the Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka)
Book facts
Kotte: The Fortress by Prasad Fonseka. Published by The National Trust Sri Lanka – 2015. Reviewed by Hemantha Situge